16 books finished in 2011

I know I’ve been saying this about a lot of books lately, but this book has totally changed my life. In my defense, I’m particularly primed for change this year, and have been seeking out more challenging reading material. If we’d been tracking my books this time last year, it would be all Jane Austen, all the time. With some C. S. Lewis and Madeline L’Engle thrown in for variety.

This book.

We should start with this article in the Curator, which I’ve linked to approximately three gazillion times since first reading it back in the fall. (Seriously, Natalie, you should tell me the stats on that one.) I thought, “Hmmm…that’s a very nice concept…” and moved on with my life.

Or so I thought. But the ideas really started nagging at me, and I realized that the concepts presented could be well-adopted in our idyllic little town, so I started bringing it up in conversation, and seeing what other sparks it set off. At a friends’ house over dinner, she pointed out that it would be a great way to provide worth for our large immigrant community. While sharing a late night snack at South Street, I mentioned this to a friend-of-a-friend who actually knew this man who dreamed up the entire idea, and couldn’t speak more highly of him. At which point I did some more researching, and decided to read this book.

I’ll be talking much more about this. I realize I’ve said nothing yet. The most striking impression I had was one of practical yet indefatigable idealism.

And I’m also amazed that Social Justice – this catchphrase that I previously thought belonged only to lawyers, politicians, and social workers – is accessible to the economist, the businessman, the administrator. I’m so thrilled to realize that I don’t have to alter who I am or what I can do in order to better care for the greater community. All I have to be is me.

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2 thoughts on “16 books finished in 2011”

Thank you for linking to my Curator article! Natalie Race sent me the link to your blog. Time banking is a remarkable concept, and it seems like in other times the world has relied much more on swapping. It’s great that time banking gives communities the structure to bring some of that reliance back.